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High BP. Medications & After How Much Time Medicines Start Working?

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Posted on Mon, 18 Jun 2012
Question: i have high blood pressure i checked this a.m 172/112 my doctor is currently trying difrnt meds to determine whats best for me. i want to no is there anything else i can do to help this matter. also i was wondering how long a new med takes to start working
doctor
Answered by Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra (34 minutes later)
Hi,

Thanks for posting the query.

After going through your history, I would like to comment the following:

1. Your Blood Pressure reading of 172/112 is definitely high (Hypertension).

2. Normally it takes a couple of weeks to achieve your target BP (Your target bp should be less than 140/90 ). Your Physician will gradually increase the dosage of the anti hypertensive drugs and if it is still not controlled then may be add another group of drug.

3. Since you are having hypertension you should also get yourself evaluated in detail in consultation with your physician - ECG , 2D ECHO (for Left Ventricular function), Tread mill test, Serum lipid profile, Urine Protein and sugar, blood sugar levels , eye (Fundus) examination & Renal function test. In this way you will have your baseline profile ready to rule out associated co morbidities at an early stage.

4. In addition to medicines, I advise the following to maintain a helathy life style to help control your hypertension:

- Reduce salt consumption in your diet.

- Do daily light exercises.

- Increase physical activity in you daily life. eg. walking, cycling, climbing stair case rather than using elevator.

-Try to avoid sedentary life style. eg. minimise time watching television or sitting on a computer.

- Maintain your weight so that your body mass index ( Calculated as weight(kg)/(height (m) x height(m)) )is in the range of 18 to 25.

-Try to be relaxed / Avoid stress situations.

-Avoid smoking and drinks.

-Eat foods XXXXXXX in fibre, i.e. cereals, pulses , fresh fruits and vegetables.

-Try to Eat low-fat foods - avoid foods containing a lot of fat and sugar (e.g. fried food, sweetened drinks, crisps, confectionery).

- A good practice if possible will be to base your meals on starchy foods (potatoes, bread, rice and pasta) - using wholegrain bread, and brown rice if possible.

-Reduce any excessive consumption of coffee if present.

-Ensure you eat breakfast.

Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer if there are no follow up queries.

Wish you a very good health.

Take Care

Regards
Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra
MBBS, MD, DNB

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
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Answered by
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Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra

Pulmonologist

Practicing since :2003

Answered : 600 Questions

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High BP. Medications & After How Much Time Medicines Start Working?

Hi,

Thanks for posting the query.

After going through your history, I would like to comment the following:

1. Your Blood Pressure reading of 172/112 is definitely high (Hypertension).

2. Normally it takes a couple of weeks to achieve your target BP (Your target bp should be less than 140/90 ). Your Physician will gradually increase the dosage of the anti hypertensive drugs and if it is still not controlled then may be add another group of drug.

3. Since you are having hypertension you should also get yourself evaluated in detail in consultation with your physician - ECG , 2D ECHO (for Left Ventricular function), Tread mill test, Serum lipid profile, Urine Protein and sugar, blood sugar levels , eye (Fundus) examination & Renal function test. In this way you will have your baseline profile ready to rule out associated co morbidities at an early stage.

4. In addition to medicines, I advise the following to maintain a helathy life style to help control your hypertension:

- Reduce salt consumption in your diet.

- Do daily light exercises.

- Increase physical activity in you daily life. eg. walking, cycling, climbing stair case rather than using elevator.

-Try to avoid sedentary life style. eg. minimise time watching television or sitting on a computer.

- Maintain your weight so that your body mass index ( Calculated as weight(kg)/(height (m) x height(m)) )is in the range of 18 to 25.

-Try to be relaxed / Avoid stress situations.

-Avoid smoking and drinks.

-Eat foods XXXXXXX in fibre, i.e. cereals, pulses , fresh fruits and vegetables.

-Try to Eat low-fat foods - avoid foods containing a lot of fat and sugar (e.g. fried food, sweetened drinks, crisps, confectionery).

- A good practice if possible will be to base your meals on starchy foods (potatoes, bread, rice and pasta) - using wholegrain bread, and brown rice if possible.

-Reduce any excessive consumption of coffee if present.

-Ensure you eat breakfast.

Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer if there are no follow up queries.

Wish you a very good health.

Take Care

Regards
Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra
MBBS, MD, DNB